Finger shield orpwotxxtor



.. .N'iTE "STATES,

PATENT Erica;

oTIs EDWIN FOWBLE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR or oun- HALF TO CHARLES C. MOLEAN, Oil PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

FINGER" sat-Eco tin-macros.

sracrmcnrron forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,929, dated January 17,1899.

A pplieationfl1edfiugust 22,1898. SerialNo-689.259. (NomodeL) To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, O'rIs EDWIN FowBLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelesand State of California, haveinvented new and useful Improvementsin Finger Shields or Protectors, of which the following isa specification. F

My improvements relate to finger shields or protectors to be worn by bricklayers, stonemasons, or those engaged in handling material of any kind liable to gall or chafe the fingers.

Gloves for covering the fingers and palm of the hand ha"e been heretofore devised for-the samgor similar, purpose, and the. finger. portions of ordihary gloves have been used by those engaged in building operations to pre'-v .ventinj ury-to the fingers incident to the handling of brick, stone, &c. The material of which these devices have been made is necessarily thin and flexible in order to admit of a free bending of the fingers and is consequently soon worn .or cut through by constant contact with the rough hard surface of the material handled. A- finger-protector constructed in the ordinary manner, but of a material sufiiciently thick or tough to withstand the wear to which they are subjected, while afiording better protection, would be too rigid or stiff to admit of a free bending of the fingers necessary .for the proper handling of brick," &c., in building-operations.

The object of my invention is to so construct a finger shield or protector as toadmit of the use of a thicker and more rigid material than heretofore employed without in any manner interfering with the hen ding of the finger, and

this I accomplish by cutting away a portion of the shield or-protector, at the back thereof, at a point to register with the knuckle'or joint of the finger. By this means that portion of the shield or protector offering the greatest resistance to banding is removed and the portion to be bent is so reduced in size as to offer little or no resistance without in the least imparing the value of the shield as a protecting medium.

After a detailed description of my invention the features deemed novel will be duly specified in the claims hereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1, 2, and

3 in side, rear, and sectional views, respectively, illustrate a finger protector or shield embodying my invention.

side and sectional'views, respectively, illustrate a finger. shield or protector similar ,to

Figs; 4 and 5, in

that of Fig. 1, but-having anexte'nsion at its lower front portion for affording protection to .the finger beyond the second joint.

The protector or shield A of Fig. 1', 2, and 3 is a tubular structure adapted to be worn upon the outer end or tip of a finger-or thumb and is preferably composed of vulcanized india-rubber of a sufficient degree of hardness to properly withstand-the wear incidentto the 6 a handling of briclgstone, or other material used in building operations. The rear portion a of the protector is cut away, as'at b, at

a point to register'with' the knuckle or joint of the finger or thumb, and at the tip or outer end thereof it is provided with an opening 0 to form an outlet for sand and grit liable to.

find its way between the protector and finger of the wearer. By this construction I am onabled to make a protector or shield of thicker and more rigid material than'heretofore employed without in any manner interfering with the free bending of the finger and shield.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated aprotector or shield A similar in construction to that of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 except that the front portion dis reinforced or made thicker than the rear portion a and is provided with an-extension e to aiford protection to a portion of the finger beyond the second joint, as clearly shown.

Where it is desirable, the protector may be made of sufficient length to cover the entire finger, in which case two openings will be required to register with the first and second joints of the finger, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isp 1. A finger shield or protector consisting of a tubular body composed of flexible material adapted to fit over the end or tip of a finger or thumb and having an opening in the rear or back portion thereof to register with the knuckle or joint of the finger or thumb whereby the shield is permitted to bend at said joint, substantially as described.

2.- A-finger shield or protector consisting of a tubular body composed of flexible material adapted to fit over the end or tip of a finger or thumb, and having a thick or reinforced front or inner portion and a thinner back or outer portion, the latter being cut away at a point to register with the knuckle or joint of a finger or thumb whereby the shield is permitted to bend at said joint, substantially as described. p

3. i A finger shield or protector consisting of a tubular body composed of flexiblematerial adapted to fit over the tip or end of a finger or thumb, and havingan opening in the back or rear portion thereof to register with the knuckle or'joint of a finger or thumb whereby the shield is permitted to bend at said joint.

similar material, adapted to fit over the tip or end of a finger or thumb, and having an opening in the end or tip thereof and an openrng in the back or rear portion to register with the. Y knuckle or joint of a finger or thumb whereby the shield is permitted to bend at said joint,

substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribin g witnesses.

OTIS EDWIN FOWBLE.

Witnesses: i

M. G. Moos, F. E Aos'rm. 

